Travel Photography – A Different Point of View

Tom Dining, on Lightstalking this time, is one of our favourite contemporary writers on photography and the difference he has between most of the others is that he is a photographer too, always worth reading his wise words

Who doesn’t like to travel. Certainly none of the photographers I know. New experiences, new opportunities, new photos with which to bore the relatives on your return home.

But are they boring? Are they purely descriptive? This is where I went, this is what I saw, this is what I did. How many shots of London Bridge or the Opera House have you seen already?

So, then you go searching for the new angle and find another dozen or so photographers are also there. They must all subscribe to Light Stalking.

Here are some suggestions that might make your photographic experience just that bit more enjoyable as a photographer.

1. Create Interesting Content in Your Frame

Although there is a tendency in the excitement of the moment to get close and crop in the frame so you have no doubt what the subject is, you can always include the personal touch by including yourself or someone or something else in the foreground to add to the story and provide a viewing point for the viewer.

2. Get Some Detail

Someone famous once said: “If you’re shots aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. Although, I suspect, this could be the cause of his very demise, it is worth considering if the territory is safe. How close? As close as you dare.

 

Want more….go here

Travel Photography – A Different Point of View

By tom dinning, Tom is one of my favourite writers on photography and here on the Lightstalking site he gives some of his tips on travel photography, as he says

“Who doesn’t like to travel. Certainly none of the photographers I know. New experiences, new opportunities, new photos with which to bore the relatives on your return home…….

But are they boring? Are they purely descriptive? This is where I went, this is what I saw, this is what I did. How many shots of London Bridge or the Opera House have you seen already? So, then you go searching for the new angle and find another dozen or so photographers are also there. “

Here are some suggestions that might make your photographic experience just that bit more enjoyable as a photographer.

 

©Keith Barnes

When I travel I try to have an idea or theme that I keep an eye open for. Often it is satellite dishes, they are everywhere, these are just a few from my trip to Laos, you can see more here

Black and White Landscapes – Enriching Tones and Textures

Tom Dining is one of our favourite photography bloggers, His sage words are always welcome. This comes from the Lightstalking site, another favourite and worth bookmarking for regular visits.

This is a guest post by Tom Dinning. Check out Tom’s free book offer on his site.

“I’m partial to a bit of colour as much as the next photographer. Blue skies, turquoise ocean, verdant pastures all make for picture post card stuff………But when it comes to emphasising textures, tones and forms of the landscape there seems nothing like a black and white image to draw out the best in these elements of composition.”………MORE from Tom

We have a Black and White Digital Photography course starting March 6th

Click Here: Black and White Landscapes – Enriching Tones and Textures.

I am thinking about going away at Christmas, in terms of business it will make no difference, as the UK closes down for 2 weeks commerce grinds to a halt unless you are a retailer. I haven’t been away since visiting Syria in 2009 and I think a trip is overdue. My current intent is Laos, it sounds perfect for me at a time of year when the weather back home is cold and grey and if like last year snow covered. A good time to escape. Maybe I will book today.

My inbox pinged and there was another sage missive from the excellent Tom Dining. He is a photographer from the Northern Territory in Australia, Darwin. For me he would not need to travel, all he needs to photograph is around him, but then again for him it is home. So this post from Tom hit at the heart of my current ponderings. Here is what he says

“In the process of learning to see, ordinary days and ordinary events can often take on a significance that is, to say the least, surprising, if not profound, but certainly extraordinary in their connection. Today is such an ordinary day.
The first event was a simple question posted on a blog.
” Where is your next big travel trip?”
Simple enough inquiry, but the implications in the particular context was that one needs to travel to photograph; to find new destinations, grandeous scenery, interesting people, places of beauty, the obligatory sunset or sunrise on a new and more exciting horizon, captivating architecture or the progression of interesting and dramatic lives and events other than those that fill our own seemingly mundane existence. We need the imagery of the imaginary, the visual spectacle of the spectacular; we need to see and record what we don’t have or pay homage to the representation of what we do have: the landscape.

The travelling photographer is armed with a vision we envy. He brings us a world out of reach to many. Like The Grand Tour we plan our lives, in part, to fulfil the dream and return with the booty of other places, neatly parcelled in a digital slide show which will be presented to friends and family on our return.
“See where I have been,” and we will sit in amazement at the splendor and beauty of it all.”

So Tom is challenging us to find images worth recording at home?…Is he getting to the root of why I want to go to Laos or in fact anywhere, am I missing the point?.

He continues:

“While standing in the middle of the road framing one of many shots I took that morning, drifting blissfully through my own world, a gentleman approached from the curb.
“What are you photographing?’ he asked sincerely.
” The truth” I responded, only after the shutter hand been pressed and I was happy I had captured it as I saw it.
“I used to photograph rock art” he added, with some trepidation, moving back to the curb and seeking safety from the traffic and me.
Everyone has a vision of the truth. We can all find it and photograph it as we see it. When that is done, the beauty will be revealed. Finding your truth may be closer than you think.”

Read more of Tom’s wise words on his blog here

Here are some images from my last trip, if you would like to see more go here

 

How to Photograph Museums and Galleries

If you visit here regularly you will know we are fans of Tom Dining, his good sense and thoughtful approach are things we value. This post by Tom on the Lightstalking site also fits with our views. Museums are great places to photograph, as long as you are allowed, which in the UK is becoming a rare opportunity. The British Museum in London allows photography as does the Ashmolean and the Natural History in Oxford. Fascinating places all of them and often great lighting.

“Behind the often stolid walls of our galleries and museums lies objects of often indescribable beauty. Art, archaeology, artifacts taken out of their context and displayed for us to admire, comprehend, understand and where we often feel the inadequacy of our own capacity to duplicate, replicate, imitate or emulate.

Photo by Tom Dinning

Never fear. These are also places where you can produce your own piece of art; photographs. Not necessarily of the art work, but all the contents of the building.”….more

I have spent many enjoyable hours photographing in museums and galleries, here are just a couple from my archive

What’s Your Time of Day (Part 1)- Shooting at First Light

One of our favourite writers on photography, Tom Dining has a tutorial on Lightstalking about the times of day that we shoot. Seems he plans a 4 parter so there are things to look forward to, this is part one, early morning

“Recently I had a browse through my files to see if there was any consistency with the times of day I choose to take photographs for my own pleasures. To my surprise, there was an even split between early morning, mid-morning, midday, late afternoon and evening. Its good that I’m not a creature of habit.

I though it might be a good exercise to examine each of these times of day in terms of the photo’s  taken and the issues that arise during the preparation stage and the recording of the images.

So here’s the first.”….more